One Life, One Love
by LaMiaAltraVita
Summary: Jolie Story. What if John had chosen Evangeline after the serial killerkidnappings incident? What would Natalie have done? Jolie eventually get together, but how? The story starts in 2013, but it will go back in time to explain how John & Natalie ende
1. Chapter 1

_Setting: Llanview Hospital 2013_

**Chapter One**

"Mrs. McBain, follow me please." Rising from her seat in the waiting room, she followed the nurse back to the exam room. Eyeing the woman as she followed her down the small corridor, she noticed a stain on the corner of the nurse's lab coat. "Put this gown on and the doctor will be in shortly," she instructed, placing a paper gown on the exam table and shutting the wooden door behind her.

She picked the gown off the table. "Whoever decided to call this a gown clearly needs to read a fashion magazine," she muttered. Groaning, she pulled her sweater over her head and sighed with relief as she slid her pants down her legs. They were getting tighter every day, it seemed. She supposed she was going to have to go shopping this weekend to buy a new suit for her annual review, thus she might as well find some new work clothes, too. Looking at herself in the mirror, she frowned at the "gown." It was almost too tight for her. She could see the exam table in the reflection of the mirror and was already wandering how she was going to hoist herself up on it.

She leaned on to it with her left side as she heard a noise from behind her. "Whoa, Natalie, you shouldn't be doing that by yourself," John said, coming in the door at the perfect time.

"I'm just … trying … to get up on this damn table." Taking a hold of her elbow with his left hand and placing his other hand on her thigh, he helped her to push herself up onto the exam table. "You'd think they'd take into consideration that a woman the size of a whale has to try and flop herself up on this damn thing and not make it so high."

"There's a stool in the corner, you know," he stated, trying to hide his smile.

She had a witty reply to wipe the smirk from his face, but the doctor knocked on the door just as she opened her mouth. Smiling, he greeted them with a handshake. "So, today is the big day. We're going to find out if it's another girl or a boy this time, Mr. McBain."

"Please, doctor, it's John." The man smiled slightly as he moved to the sink to wash his hands. "Your test results and blood work are exactly where they should be for 20th week. The end of your second trimester should progress just as it did the last time." He closed the file he was looking in and pulled two plastic gloves out of a box. "I'll make this as quick as possible, as I'm sure your both anxious to find out the sex of the baby."

"We just want a healthy baby," John stated.

The doctor glanced up at Natalie as she sat down on the stool at the end of the bed. "Then, you're going to be in luck, Sir, because we've got one of those on the way," Natalie said, reaching out for John's hand.

Natalie held tightly to John's hand. She could hear the doctor telling her what he was doing, but it was just background noise. She looked down at John's hand, clutched in her own. It was just as it had been that day, back when he'd found her at the quarry. It was eight years ago and she hadn't let herself think much about that day since then, yet the feeling of his hand holding tightly to hers brought it all back.

They had sent a man down in the cave to bring her up. She was too weak to put the harness on herself so that she could be lifted out. She knew that John was waiting for her at the top, but she couldn't bring herself to stand up. She could barely move her arms or legs. The memories of the man lifting her up and scaling the wall of the cave were sketchy. She was just inches from the opening when John stuck his hand out to her. Finding the strength somewhere within herself, she reached out for his hand. He grabbed onto hers and pulled her the rest of the way up. She collapsed onto him, nearly unconscious.

Looking down at John's hand holding hers in the exam room, she could still see the small scar above her thumb. She had scratched it on a rock as she reached out for John's hand, yet she had no memory of injuring herself. All she could remember was looking up and seeing John reaching out for her.

"Mrs. McBain … Mrs. McBain …" The nurse was calling her. Snapping out of her thoughts, Natalie looked up to see a nurse across from her and not the doctor. "If I could just get you to sit up so that we can get you in position for the ultrasound…" Natalie nodded, moving as the nurse instructed.

"You OK?" John asked, aware of her aloofness. She nodded, smiling at her husband before the nurse moved between them to start the ultrasound.

"I see from your file that you already have a little girl," the nurse prodded.

"Yes, she just turned two years old last week," Natalie shared.

"Well, I wonder if she'll be happy to have a little brother to play with."

"A boy? It's a boy?" Natalie asked, tears already forming in her eyes. She glanced at John, before looking to the screen where the nurse was pointing.

"That's my son," John stated proudly as they viewed the image, the nurse pointing out how they could tell it was a boy.

"We'll get these imagines printed out for you," the nurse said, wiping Natalie's stomach with a towel and pushing the machine out of the room with her.

"I might not have been completely honest with you these past few weeks…" John said, moving to her side again.

"What?" Natalie asked with a sniff.

"I meant it when I said that I didn't care if it was a girl or a boy, but I was hoping for a boy," he admitted.

"I knew you were," Natalie said, reaching out for him. He kissed the top of her head as he held her close to him.

The door opened again and they pulled apart. "Dr. McBain, everything looks good. You can put your clothes back on and come to the front. They'll set you up for your next appointment. Here's a copy of the pictures from your ultrasound."

"Thanks," Natalie said, taking the pictures. John kissed her once again before helping her off the table.

So, I've got a lot more time to fill in (about 8 years) – if anyone's interested in more. Let me know if I should continue!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Natalie sat down at a chair in the doctor's lounge. She could drop her head on the table and fall asleep right now, but she still had 2 hours left of her shift.

"Hey there, sis-in-law," Michael said, walking into the lounge. His mood was just too perky and it was already starting to annoy her. "Anything exciting going on in the ER today?" he asked.

"Nothing more so than usual. Just counting down the hours until I can go home."

"You look like you're ready to go home and chase a two year old around the house," he stated sarcastically.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you to be nice to pregnant women?" she asked.

Michael smiled to himself as he opened his locker. "Speaking of Mom, she says you and John found out about the house yesterday."

"Yeah, our offer was accepted. So, thankfully we are going to be in a bigger house before the baby comes. The cottage is great, but it's just not big enough for the 3 of us and a new baby."

"Congratulations and tell John I said so, too. See ya around." Tossing his bag over his shoulder, he stopped in the doorway. "You have a lot to be thankful for," he said, but before she even looked up, he was out the door already.

That wasn't the first time he'd said she was lucky. He had said that to her as he met her gurney while they were taking her into an exam room in the ER. She had let go of John's hand. They wouldn't let him ride with her in the ambulance, but he was seconds behind her as they entered the hospital. "You have a lot to be thankful for, Natalie," he'd said, standing over her after examining her injuries. "A few broken ribs, a sprained ankle, dehydration, some skin lacerations and rashes, but you're going to walk away from this with your life." She was still feeling faint, but on some level she'd understood him. Suddenly, John was standing over her bed. He was stroking her forehead.

"I'm so sorry I didn't find you sooner." She could hear the pain in his voice. She wanted to tell him that it was OK, but she just didn't have the energy to speak. She could only look at him and glance down at his hand as he held onto hers. She tried to smile before drifting off to sleep. They kept her in the hospital for a few days, but she was finally released. Viki took her home to Llanfair and they had a big party to celebrate that she was back home. But John wasn't there. In fact, she didn't seem him for nearly a week. Tired of being cooped up in the house, she snuck out as Viki was cooking dinner. The idea of chicken wings from Rodi's was just too luring to turn down. And the fact that John might be there didn't hurt. He was there - at a table with Evangeline. He saw her come in out of the corner of his eye. Natalie could see Evangeline nod as he pushed his chair back and came over to her. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know what was going on. She could tell just by reading their body language.

"You look good," he stated.

"Thanks. I feel good. So, you two …"

"Yeah," John answered awkwardly.

"I'm happy for you," she said trying to force out a smile. "I guess almost losing someone makes you realize your true feelings." She was talking more about herself than his relationship with Evangeline or even his feelings for her, but he suddenly felt the need to explain.

"I never meant to hurt you, Natalie. I care about you and I didn't meant to drag you along, making you think we had a future. Things have just been so crazy with this serial killer. You mean a lot to me and we have so much between us, but-"

Natalie nodded. "You don't need to do this." He started to protest. "Really, I understand. I hope that you'll be happy together." She took a deep breath. "She's a good person. Don't mess this one up, McBain." Natalie moved forward, to pat his shoulder or kiss his cheek, but she stopped herself. She glanced up at him and then to Evangeline. "Good-bye, John." She was out of Rodi's in a second and back to her car. Sitting behind the steering wheel, she collapsed into tears. She'd kept herself alive in that cave by reliving their past together. She'd kept herself alive by promising to fight for him. Yet seeing them together, she knew that she didn't have a chance. He was in love with someone else.

Natalie jumped from her seat when her pager began to vibrate. The beeping sound shattered her memories as she looked down to see where she was needed. ER room 4 – broken nose. Pushing herself out of the chair, she straightened her lab coat and walked out of the break room.

Let me know if the way the flashbacks are included is confusing or anything (like if the story isn't worth continuing...!)! Comments are always welcomed!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"John, I don't know where the chocolate ice cream is. I'm telling you that I put it in the freezer when I bought it last night. If it isn't in there, then maybe Mom took it outside already." Natalie had a spatula in one hand and a cup of icing in the other. She was fixing the spots on the cake where someone had been unable to wait for her birthday party.

"She's the one who asked me to come inside and get it. The kids all want chocolate with their cake."

Natalie sighed, annoyed that she was always the one who knew where things were. Putting the icing down, she walked over to the freezer and moved a few things around with her free hand. Reaching past a very old frozen dinner, she spotted the yellow box they were looking for. Reaching in, she pulled it out and handed it over to her husband before turning back to the birthday cake.

John sensed her mood and quickly exited the kitchen with the ice cream. Natalie could hear him announcing himself outside as the door swung shut.

She looked down at the cup of icing in her hand, remembering another time she had been decorating a cake for someone's birthday.

"That looks great, Nat," Antonio said, sliding past her to look at the birthday cake they'd ordered for Jessica. "She's going to love it. She's had such a tough year. This party is going to really surprise her." Natalie smiled, handing him the cake to take out into the main room. Jessica would be coming home any minute. Natalie watched Antonio humming to himself as he double-checked all the decorations. She sighed, wishing she had someone like that in her life. Christian would have done something special for her today, since it was her birthday too.

"Damn it," she muttered, cursing herself for allowing her mind to drift to John. She couldn't help it. No matter what she was doing, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about him and wondering what he was doing. She reached into her pocket and felt the letter still there. She pulled it out to look at once again. The Stanford heading stood out in bright red letters. She hadn't opened it yet. She was more worried about it saying yes than politely declining her application.

"Check the bottom left drawer, Nat, I think we need more spoons!" Antonio called. Natalie quickly shoved the letter back inside her pocket. What she would later discover that night was that the letter wasn't turning her down, but inviting her to join the School of Medicine Class of 2009. Sitting in her room, she had read the letter about twelve times now. It still said the same thing. "Mrs. Natalie Vega, we are delighted to invite you to join the Stanford University School of Medicine Class of 2009…" She sighed. This wasn't what she wanted, but it was what she had to do. She couldn't stay in Llanview. It was too close to John … and Evangeline. No matter where she went in town, they were always around. She thought it would get easier seeing them together, but it didn't. It only got harder. She could see they were falling deeper in love. There was no way she could stay here any longer. This was her sign. She had told herself that if she got into medical school, she would take that as a sign that it was time for her to move on. Llanview had brought her nothing but unhappiness. Sure, it had brought her a family and her beloved Christian. But Christian was dead and tons of people lived away from their families. She could still see them for holidays.

"Natalie, come on," Viki said, interrupting her thoughts. "Natalie! What is taking so long?" Viki walked up behind her. "Oh sweetheart, the cake looks beautiful. Victoria is going to love it." Natalie smiled, as she picked the cake up and followed her mother outside.

Victoria was having a blast. She was only two years old, but she was already the life of the party anywhere she went. She could steal anyone's heart within seconds of meeting her. Natalie figured she must have inherited that from her grandmothers, as neither she nor John really had that quality. Victoria also had her grandmother's blond hair. No one quite knew how that happened with a brunette and redheaded parents.

John came over and put his arm around Natalie as they watched Viki cutting the birthday cake for the other kids. Natalie smiled at him, her mind still on her earlier thoughts.

She kept the letter for two more weeks, before deciding to send back the deposit securing her spot in the class. She didn't know how to tell the family. Everyone would know why she was leaving. They all knew she was still in love with John. It drove her insane that people felt sorry for her. So, she waited until the last minute to tell anyone about moving. She told the family she was going to a spa in California to rest, when she was actually going for orientation and to find an apartment.

"What do you mean you're moving to California?" Viki asked, as the family was gathered at the dinner table. It was Asa and Renee's anniversary, so the whole family was together.

"When?" Jessica asked.

Natalie took a sip of her water and sat it down, "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" they all, repeated in shock.

"You need somewhere to live, a job, plans, Natalie!" Viki exclaimed.

"It's already taken care of, Mom."

"I'm going back to school." She took the letter out of her pocket. It was a bit wrinkled by now.

Viki opened it, reading it silently. "Stanford? You got into medical school and didn't tell anyone?"

Jessica snatched the letter away from her mother as Natalie tried to explain. "I know this seems sudden, but I didn't think I'd get in. I mean, my grades weren't that good. I thought they'd turn me down, but they didn't. I didn't know how to tell you all. These last few months have been … crazy and I didn't know if I was going to go, anyway. I just … I need to start over again. Christian is gone and I have to figure out what to do with my life. This doesn't mean I won't ever be back, but I have to do this. I can't stay here."

Everyone was silent. They knew why she couldn't stay and they weren't going to argue with her. They all wanted her to let go of John. He just wasn't right for her. Not even Roxy liked the idea of Natalie and John together anymore.

"Well, I suppose I need to tell Nigel to open another bottle of champagne. We've got two events to celebrate tonight. Our anniversary and Natalie's acceptance into medical school," Asa stated, breaking the somber mood. As he bellowed for Nigel, everyone returned to their conversations and the tensions cooled down. Natalie looked over at her mother. She could see that Viki didn't want her to go, but she knew her mother would never stand in her way.


	4. Chapter 4

**Many, many thanks for the positive reviews! I'm glad to know that some people are enjoying it!**

**Chapter Four**

"There is nothing on TV, John. Why do we pay so much for satellite when there is nothing on?" They were lying in bed. It was only nine o'clock, but Natalie had already gotten accustomed to spending the evening in bed after Victoria went to sleep. She was now seven months pregnant and the 24-hour shifts were starting to tire her.

"I'm going to go check on Victoria," he called, exiting the bathroom.

"She's probably asleep by now. It took me a while to get her to bed. I think Mom or maybe Roxy gave her candy."

John laughed, walking out of their bedroom. Natalie sighed at the sight of yet another reality show. This one was about some couple testing their relationship. She turned the TV off and plopped down on the pillows. Rubbing her stomach, she smiled. "Maybe you'll grow up to be a writer and then Mommy will have something good to watch on TV when she's too old to get out of bed." It didn't take her longer than a few seconds to fall asleep.

Natalie sighed as she flipped through the TV channels. She thought TV in Pennsylvania was boring. Here it was nothing but damn health shows and reality TV crap. She clicked the TV off and looked around her apartment. Living alone wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Sure, there was no annoying roommate to put up with, but there was always the silence. If she didn't make noise, then no one did. That was the hard part. Keeping her mind from going into overdrive because of the silence. Stopping it from thinking too much. She looked at the copy of People Magazine on the table. Another cover of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. They were so in love; it was sickening, really. Natalie picked the magazine up and walked into her small kitchen with it. Dropping it into the garbage can, she muttered something about love.

Leaving the kitchen, she went over to her desk and sat down. She had never been so bored and yet so busy in her entire life. School had started six weeks ago. It was already November and there wasn't even snow yet. In fact, she could still wear shorts some days! So different than back home. Her classes weren't as hard as she'd thought. They were much harder. She felt like the odd one out at school. There was only a handful of students who hadn't been pre-med in college. Natalie had timidly included herself as one of them. She was an outcast in Llanview and once again she was the kid left out here, too. A few of the non-pre-med kids had started a study group. Natalie had gone once or twice, but she just wasn't up to being around people. They didn't seem to interested in her, either.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Natalie jumped at the break in silence. "Hello?"

"Hey, Natalie, this is Sonia … Parker. I'm in your anatomy class …" It took Natalie a second to remember her, "yep, that's me. We're having a study group in the MezzaNotte Café around 8 tonight. "It's just going to be some of us who can make it, nothing big. You know where the place is, right?"

"Yeah. I don't know if I can make it. I'll see how things go."

"Sure. Just thought I'd let ya' know. Bye!" Natalie hung up the phone. The girl was nice, but she was always so damn perky. Just as she was setting the phone down, the doorbell rang. Her apartment hadn't seen this much action since she'd moved in. It was only the UPS man at the door. Signing for the package, she saw that it was from Jessica.

Natalie thought Viki would miss her the most, but it was actually Jessica who called and e-mailed nearly every day. She was torn between Nash and Antonio and just didn't know what to do. Natalie was a bit jealous that her sister had two men fighting over her, but it was nice to listen to someone else's problems and not think about her own for a few minutes. Ripping the box open, Natalie was delighted to find it full of copies of the Llanview Banner. Jess had even thrown in a few copies of Craze Magazine. Just enough of home to lessen the tinge of being home-sick.

Sitting back on the couch, she picked up the newspaper that was on top of the stack. She was finally starting to feel good when she came across it. In the Local section. Page L6. Across from the advertisements page. Engagement announcements. They just had to put it in her mother's newspaper. Couldn't they have chosen a paper published by someone else's mom? Natalie stared at the photograph of John & Evangeline. She refused to let herself cry. "No," she told herself sternly. "You will not cry over him. He isn't worth it." But, it was a losing battle.

She was angry at herself for being upset. She was angry at Jess, too. Jessica had put that paper on top intentionally. Natalie wanted to be mad at her, but she wasn't really. She knew that Jessica did it out of love for her. They usually talked every day and while she never mentioned John, Natalie knew that Jessica could tell she was still in love with him. They never discussed the subject of Natalie's love life, but he was always in the background. Natalie looked at the announcement again. They looked happy. Damn, they looked really happy.

Taking a deep breath, she made the decision. "I have to let him go, for real this time." She took a deep breath. Deep down, she'd been hoping he would realize his mistake and come to California and take her back home to Llanview. But, he never came. Two months and he never came. He was never going to come. The paper proved it. He chose someone else. He chose Evangeline. Holding the paper in her hands, Natalie whispered, "Good-bye, McBain." She folded the paper up and took it over to the same garbage can where she'd thrown the People Magazine.

"So, this is the beginning. The beginning of the rest of my life. I don't need John McBain or any man." She was pacing the floor of her living room now. Her nerves were on high. She saw her keys on the table. Now was as good a time as ever to start, right? "MezzaNotte Café? Is that on Third or Sixth Street?" she asked herself. She couldn't remember. To hell with it, she'd find the place eventually. Reaching for her keys, she could feel her old self coming back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the reviews! I appreciate them. As long as you still want it, I'll keep the story coming!**

**Chapter 5**

"Natalie? You OK?"

She eyed him oddly. "Why wouldn't I be, John?"

"Well, lately I feel like I keep walking in on you in the middle of something. You seem to be a million miles away."

They were in the kitchen eating breakfast. John hadn't been hungry, but Natalie had talked him into eating a bowl of Cheerios with her and Victoria.

"I've just been thinking a lot. You know, about the past and stuff like that. I don't know, I guess being pregnant makes me nostalgic or something."

"What about the past?" he asked, his mouth full of cereal. It was too cute and Natalie couldn't help but smile.

"The good, the bad, when we met, going to med school, some of the friends I used to have, you know, like Sonia and Anita and Chase."

His spoon clinked against the side of the bowl. "Chase? You still think of him?"

Natalie smiled, but tried to hide it. He was jealous. She could see it. He was still jealous. She was married to him. She was the mother of his kid. Now, she was pregnant with another one of his kids and yet he was still jealous of Chase!

"Not often, just recently." She didn't want him to read too much into it, but she did like getting some emotion out of him.

"Oh. I suppose he's probably a professor at some prestigious university or the head of a hospital somewhere by now," John poked at his cereal.

"He's working for his father's practice in San Francisco," she corrected.

John looked up from his bowl. How did she know that? Why did she know that? Natalie sensed his surprise. "I read it in the alumni newsletter they send." He nodded. Innocent enough. She ducked her head down, unable to hide her grin. He was still jealous.

"Natalie! This is starting to become a trend. You've come to every study group for the past two months!" Sonia stated, moving her purse off a chair for Natalie to sit down at the table with them.

"I was in home sick, I guess, at the start of the semester. But now, I'm focused on school. I came here to forget about home and get an education. So, that's what I'm doing." She cleared a spot on the table for her notebook. "Ok, what page are we on?" She pulled the heavy book out of her bag. The damn thing weighed nearly 5 pounds. How much could there be to learn about the human body? Apparently, a hell of a lot.

"841, we were talking about the heart and blood flow."

Natalie turned to the page and was skimming to the section they were talking about. "Right here," he pointed out.

"Thanks," she smiled.

"I'm Chase, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Chase. I'm Natalie." They smiled at each other before Sonia started talking about corroded arteries and blood flow restrictions. Sonia was, by far, the smartest one in the class. She knew everything. Usually by the time the professor explained something and then Sonia re-explained it, Natalie was starting to understand it. She probably wouldn't be in the top of the class, but at least she wasn't going to be at the bottom.

"Are you going home for Thanksgiving?" Sonia asked, putting her books back into her bag and digging for her car keys. They'd finished studying about an hour ago, but a couple people hung around drinking coffee and eating some pastries. The food bar had great blueberry muffins.

"No, I don't think I can really get away. We have those two exams when we get back and I know that if I go home, I'll get no studying done. I'm just going to stay here. What about you?"

"I'm from Modesto. I don't have to leave the state to go home. I can go for two days and be back here after my mother stuffs me with food."

Natalie nodded. "Well, have a good trip." Picking up her bag, she tossed it over her shoulder and was heading for the door. Before she knew it, Chase had caught up with her as she was walking to her car.

"I couldn't help overhearing what you were saying to Sonia…"

"Eavesdropping." He looked shocked. "That's the term for it," she clarified. Chase would have felt bad, but she was smiling too big to be upset with him.

"Uh, there are a few of us who aren't going home. You know, our families are far away or whatever. We're having a makeshift family dinner. You're welcome to come. It's at a friend of mine's place, but the more the merrier. I'm sure everyone would love you to join us."

"That sounds nice," she said. "Thanks." Taking her bag from her hand, he walked her the rest of the way to her car.

It was nice. It was a great Thanksgiving, actually. She was finally starting to make friends here. When she got to the apartment, she was surprised to see that most of the people there were familiar. She knew them from classes or just seeing them around campus. Finally, she was moving on with her life. She hadn't made it through a whole day without thinking of him, but she was getting better. Usually, she didn't think of him until nighttime. When she was alone in bed, her mind would drift. She couldn't help but think about him. It was easier now, though. It didn't hurt as bad as it used to. Sometimes it did, but not always.

Natalie snapped back to reality when a barrage of Cheerio's was pelted at her face. "Hey!" Ready to scold Victoria for playing with her food, Natalie was surprised to see they weren't coming from her daughter.

Natalie laughed when Victoria reached out and picked up a handful of John's cereal. She didn't quite succeed in throwing them very far, but her giggle was contagious.

"You are not setting a good example, John." He smiled, suddenly leaning over the table to kiss her.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"No reason." Picking up his bowl, he pushed his chair away from the table and dumped it into the sink.

She smirked, leaning back in her chair. He was definitely still jealous.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks again for the comments on the story. I'm glad to know that at least one person or two are enjoying it. Sorry about the formatting – I'm new to this website. I wanted to separate the flashbacks from the "current" stuff, but my documents change a bit when I upload them.**

**Chapter Six**

Viki sat next to her granddaughter, who was sprawled out on the floor of Llanfair with all her toys around her. She was staging a dance-off between Elmo, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Gonzo. So far, Viki couldn't tell who was winning.

"You know, Christmas is almost here. Have you told Santa what you want him to bring you?"

Suddenly, the little girl emitted a piercing scream and threw Elmo into Viki's lap. Running from the library, she continued screaming as she ran into the kitchen in search of her mother. Viki was thoroughly confused. Pushing herself off the floor, she went in search of her granddaughter. She found her underneath the kitchen table. A few minutes later, Viki finally lured her out with the promise of a chocolate cookie. From then on, the afternoon was uneventful. The dance-off was never completed, though. Instead, Barbie and Skipper went swimming in the laundry room sink.

Natalie rushed up the walkway to Llanfair. She was supposed to have picked Victoria up at 6 o'clock when her shift ended, but she got forced into working a few hours over. They were short-staffed due to a doctor's conference. It was now past Victoria's bedtime and it was going to take forever to get her to sleep once they got home. John was away on business, so it was just she and Victoria for a few days.

"I'm so sorry I'm late." Natalie looked around the library. She saw toys, but no child. "Where's Victoria?"

"She's asleep upstairs. She kept me running around all day."

"I hope she wasn't too much."

"Of course not. We had a wonderful time. There was something odd, though. I asked her if she'd told Santa what she wants for Christmas and she ran out of here screaming and hid in the kitchen."

Natalie laughed. "Yeah, John and I took her to get her picture taken with Santa. It's corny, but Roxy took me as a kid. And John said his Mom used to take him and Michael. So, we went to the mall. She waited in line and the moment we sat her on his lap, she just started screaming and didn't stop until we got home. She's scared to death of him. We've got no clue why."

"I'll remember that next time."

"John thought maybe we should celebrate Hanukkah instead," she joked.

"Are you hungry, sweetheart? I don't like that you're working over-time when you're 8 months pregnant. You should be resting and off your feet."

"I'm fine, Mom. They have been giving me the easy stuff lately. But, I would love something to eat. We're starving! This baby loves to eat!" She followed her mother into the kitchen.

"Oh come on, Natalie," Sonia goaded her on. "You know that it sounds fun! I do it every year!"

"We're adults!"

"So what? It's fun. Come on, do you have anything else better to do?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Fine, but I'm not taking my picture with him alone. One of you has to do it with me."

"Chase can do it with you. I have a scrapbook of me with Santa since I was like 2. I'm going up there solo." It was absurd, but typically Sonia. They were at the mall to buy holiday presents and Sonia had talked them into having their pictures taken with Santa. It was silly, but actually pretty fun. She and Chase took the picture together and followed an elf to the waiting area.

"Did you tell Santa what you want for Christmas?" Natalie teased Chase as the woman dressed in a green and red costume handed them their photo.

"I did, but I can't tell you because it's a secret." They all spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and joking around. Sonia was leaving for her parent's home tomorrow. Chase was going to Connecticut to spend the holidays with his parents in the morning. But she was staying here. She'd told her mother that a group of kids were staying for the holidays and spending it together, but the truth was that she just wasn't ready to go home. Here in California, she was living on a high. Going back home would take her back to her old world, her world with John.

So, she stayed alone in her apartment while everyone else went home. It was shaping up to be a pretty lonely Christmas Eve. Natalie was watching _Rudolph_ and _The Abominable Snowman_ on TV. Another Roxy tradition. She'd seen the programs numerous times, but there was nothing else better to do. Taking a sip of her spiked eggnog, she heard the doorbell ring. Debating whether to answer it or not, she figured it was someone looking for one of the Christmas parties in her building. It would be some half-drunk teenager dressed in a red Santa hat and carrying a bag full of presents – not what Natalie wanted to see tonight. But, she answered the door anyway.

"Chase?" She opened the door, surprised to see him. "What … what in the world are you doing here? I thought you were in Connecticut?"

"There's a huge snow storm in New Haven and my flight was cancelled. You mind if I spend Christmas Eve with you?" A Christmas without snow. She'd gotten used to the Pennsylvania weather. Here, it was still nearly 80 degrees.

"Of course not," she stepped aside to let him in the door. "I'm just watching TV and I'd planned on drinking the night away. You're welcome to join me." He smiled, holding up a bottle of wine he'd brought with him.

She had thought it was going to be a horrible Christmas, maybe even worse than some of them when she was a kid. Instead, she and Chase spent all night talking about their families and growing up. He wasn't that much different than her. Yeah, he'd grown up in the rich family his whole life, but his parents had been as absentee as Roxy.

"Oh my God, Mom, this is amazing. I mean, really amazing. You should make this more often." Viki stood at the sink, cleaning a pan, as she watched Natalie eating out of the corner of her eye. "You think I could take the rest of it home? We have nothing in the house. John refuses to let me go grocery shopping. I went like a month ago and spent $300 on junk food. John apparently didn't like that." She took another bite of the lasagna. "But, hey, can I help it if his kid wants to eat Oreo's and chips for breakfast?"

"Why don't you just spend the night here? Victoria is already asleep. There's no point in waking her up. You can stay in your old room." Natalie nodded. She was still focused on the lasagna in front of her.


	7. Final Update

**This is the FINAL update**: Thanks to all those who have commented, but this story will no longer be updated on this website. A few of you have made comments about the formatting and the confusing with the flashbacks and switching between times. I'm new to this website and when I submit a formatted document, it changes the format and I don't know how to get it back to the way I had it. I'm tired of fighting with it everyday, trying to post a new chapter or make an update. If you're interested in the story (and reading it with the correct formatting,) I am a member of the group JohnandNatalieFanfiction, which you can find at YahooGroups. The story is posted there regularly. Thank you again to all those who made comments and are enjoying the story, but I am unable to figure out how make my documents upload correctly on this website.

Thank you again,

Liz


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